"O meu primo trabalha numa padaria."

Translation: My cousin works in a bakery.

[lathedawg]

Could you also say "meu primo trabalha numa padaria"? I don't see the point of the "O" at the beginning of the sentence.

[lindsey91]

Is "numa" actually written, or purely colloquial?

[erudis]

Yes. The contraction is almost always used in Portugal, and still common in Brazil.

[lindsey91]

But just to clarify, would you see it in a newspaper/formal writing?

[erudis]

In Portugal yes, in Brazil the non-contracted form is probably more common, some authors believe the contractions don't sound "elegant", but it's not wrong either, just a matter of personal preference.

[quadrivium]

What would it look like in non-contracted from?

[lindsey91]

"O meu primo trabalha em uma padaria."

[lathedawg]

Could you also say "meu primo trabalha numa padaria"? I don't see the point of the "O" at the beginning of the sentence.